The Changing Game
by Crimsigon1
Summary: In Kings Landing the Lannisters grow paranoid as events begin to unfold. The North and the Riverlands ally and attempt to bring the Vale in on the war. Stannis broods on Dragonstone choosing to not forsake the seven. Renly prepares to claim the Iron Throne along with his Tyrell bride. Across the Narrow Sea the reminants of Old Valyria plot to reclaim the Throne with Fire and Blood.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys trying out a new story if you like please review as feedback is always appreciated**

 **Basically the plot is pretty much if some characters had a bit more common sense and didn't make some stupid decisions. All events in GOT are the exact same so only past the beginning of A Clash of Kings is where the storyline shall be altered.**

 **Italics- thoughts**

 **Disclaimer: George RR Martin owns ASOIAF**

 **Rating M: Swearing, Violence and perhaps later on in the story this of a Sexual Nature**

Prologue

As night began to settle in and the final rays of precious sunlight disappeared from sight over the red and orange horizon the people of Kings Landing finally began to close up for the night. In the cobbled streets beggars and orphans moved from their positions that they had rested in all day, searching for another dark and dismal hole to call shelter while the darkness descended upon the city. Merchants and tradesmen packed up their wares and stalls in the city, closing up their small shops and returned to their own homes where wives and children waited expectedly for the small amount of money their fathers and husbands might have made during the long and cloudless day. One by one the good and honest people of Kings Landing left the darkened streets for the safety of their homes while the drunken men, sellswords and other untrustworthy people came out.

Far away and high above the pungent and smelling city rose the Red Keep, ever foreboding and a monument to whichever house claimed residence inside its enormous blood red walls. Once again even higher attached to the mighty fortress rose a solitary tower where some of the greatest and most famed warriors of Westerosi history had claimed residence. Coming faintly from the highest arched window was the sounds of anguished groaning and a few muttered curse words as one particular member of the Kingsguard rose from their soft feather bed to begin their duty of guarding the royal family during the dark and cloudless night. This particular knight began to once he had finally risen from his place of rest don his undergarments and then finally began to place upon him the armour that made the Kingsguard legendary. One by one, piece by piece the armour began to cover his particularly rounded figure and all the while Ser Boros Blount grunted with the effort.

Eventually only two pieces of the traditional armour of the Kingsguard remained. The golden scaled breastplate and the snowy white cloak. Squeezing the breastplate over his sagging stomach before finally slinging the white cloak over his round shoulders Ser Boros finally at least on the outside looked the part of a proper Kingsguard despite the ageing and overweight body hidden beneath the finely crafted armour.

Blowing out a single lit candle by his small bedside and leaving his room shrouded in darkness Boros left the room quickly and closed the thick wooden door silently behind him, trying very hard not to wake any of his sworn brothers who did not have the night shift and had to look after the royal family this evening. Descending through the White Sword Tower Boros kept his movements fast but quiet, all his effort concentrated upon making sure his boots did not sound loudly and echo through the silent tower. Finally reaching the modest tower door he passed through it and finally let out a large sigh and took a breath of relief once he entered the candle lit corridor knowing he was finally free to move at his own pace.

" _The Queen will have my head if I don't arrive on time, she's a paranoid bitch these days always looking round corners seeing wolves and stags in the shadows"_. Boros thought as quickened his pace and began to exert himself more in a hurried state. " _A spiteful woman if their ever was one but still as fair as the height of summer"._

Turning left and right more times than Boros could count he wandered determined through the empty and echoing halls, breathing heavily as he found he did more often than nought these long summer days. The years had not been kind to Ser Boros, leaving him with a large stomach that spilled out of any tunic he wore, a balding head a few strands away from becoming a barren and smooth surface, jowls and unfortunately even he had silently admitted to himself on a few occasions a face even his own family had found hard to love. This had all contributed to his short temper which usually flared up when people had the gall to look down upon him when they themselves were hardly perfect.

Finally after what seemed like hours of walking through the halls Boros finally arrived outside the mahogany doors which through them would either hold a furious woman or a placated one, Boros hoped to the seven that it would be the latter. Knocking gently on the door to make sure he didn't waken any of the occupants of the other rooms he waited patiently as his fate was decided. Soon enough light footsteps sounded upon the other side of the door and a cold and harsh voice called out.

"Enter Ser Boros else I shall send for a more competent member of the Kingsguard, one who is not late!".

Grumbling quietly Boros opened the well oiled door and walked through preparing for the worse. Inside the room the merry little glow of a dozen or so candles greeted him along with a large fire burning in the large hearth. The floors were carpeted with fine furs and myrish rugs and the walls were hung with tapestries most depicting the Lannisters throughout the centuries. At the far end of the room near a small balcony that allowed one to view the entire city lay a few hand crafted wooden chairs depicted with lions and upon the closest to the window sat the golden haired beauty that was Cersei Lannister. Bowing deeply Ser Boros moved forward towards the fair queen and once again bowed once he was a few metres away.

"Ser Boros I am glad to see that you have finally arrived, for a brief moment I had feared that you had fled your post" Cersei said with a bright smile plastered across her face. One who met her for the first time would believe she was japing however Boros had known her for several years now. The best way to read Cersei Lannister was to look at the eyes and like he guessed they were filled with malice, almost saying how painfully he would have died if he had dared to run away.

"Yes your grace I am deeply sorry for my lateness I fear I overslept" Boros said quietly knowing that to anger the lion would make it hostile and dangerous and possibly lead to several complications.

"Well you are hear now anyway, I want to know who is covering my son the King this evening, is it Ser Meryn or Ser Mandon" she asked as she stood up showing Ser Boros a full view of her beautiful figure being hugged nicely by the crimson red silk robe she wore around her.

Cersei Lannister really was a goddess in mortal form. Her golden spun hair hung loosely over her petite shoulders, cascading like a waterfall down her back. Her perfectly formed face with its high flawless cheekbones and light emerald green eyes were sparking in the candles glow. Her tall lithe figure was still as slim as when she was the age of sixteen when she came to the height of her beauty. The crimson satin robe she still wore barely covered her bosom which Ser Boros on more than one occasion had taken several long hard stares at. In that brief moment Ser Boros was more envious of Robert Baratheon for having this treasure all to himself than ever before in his long and miserable life.

"I do believe your grace that Ser Mandon is with his grace the King while Ser Meryn is with your other children the Prince Tommen and Princess Myrcella" he said staring at her face despite an overwhelming urge to look slightly below it.

"I do know the names of my own children Ser Boros I did birth them myself no need to recite their names to me like I have forgotten and was likely to reward you" she spat out making Boros recoil like a snake away from the spiteful queen. "Honestly I fear the biggest mistake I might have made was getting rid of Ser Barristan when there are far more incompetent men on the Kingsguard than that old knight. At least he knew how to function like a Kingsguard".

"Yes your grace" Ser Boros sad through gritted teeth as he repressed the new urge to raise a mailed fist to Cersei Lannisters fair face. Sometimes however it was better to keep the replies short and simple rather than cause more mockery he had learnt and like most evenings this was a lesson for him".

"Ser Boros as always if any news comes of the traitors in the North or Stannis or Renly tell me immediately, I am the regent of Joffrey and I need to be informed of these important matters" she muttered as she picked up a silver chalice and poured into it a jugs worth of Arbor Gold, the finest wine in all of Westeros.

"Yes your grace I won't hesitate to inform you if news comes" he said dutifully as she smirked knowing full well what a craven he was and how he feared even the slightest bit of retribution from the queen.

"Very well Ser Boros that is all, I don't need you to stay in the room this evening just stand outside my door" she said dismissively as she once again ignored his presence and returned to her wine and novel which Boros had noticed was lying open upon the small mahogany table beside her.

"Yes your grace, just call if you need me" Ser Boros said scowling as he turned to leave once more, pretending not to hear Cersei Lannister let out a small wicked laugh at the thought of needing him to help her.

Leaving the room Ser Boros closed the door behind him and he was once again immersed in the silence of the hall, not a living soul in sight. With a few hours to spent Boros began to think things over in his head about the events that were going on. The Lords Stannis and Renly both were amassing armies and building up alliances, one in Storms End or Highgarden depending on who you ask and the other in the middle of Blackwater Bay, currently dwelling in one of the most famous fortresses of all time. The Northern Lords were also amassing a large army to avenge the death of their beloved Lord Eddard. Everywhere you turned rebellions were sprouting up like weeds and you could see this was going to be a long and bloody conflict. Boros then spent the couple of minutes thinking about what sort of chance he might have in surviving the coming conflict and unfortunately the odds were not good.

" _Perhaps the Queen was right, maybe if I had been replaced I could have had a chance at survival but I've got to stay and guard a boy King and his whore of a mother"_ he thought, directing a dark gaze at the door which through it held most of his problems. " _I wonder why she was reading the Lineages of all the Great Houses of Westeros, she normally doesn't care about any other family other than the gold shitting Lannisters and it's not exactly a small read?"._

Boros dismissed the thoughts from his head, what was the point in trying to figure out what the High Lords and Ladies did when it only had to do with benefiting themselves, no point dwelling upon useless thoughts. He returned back to the coming war. He like many others had truly failed to understand how devastating this war could actually be. With half the Riverlands currently on fire any chance for a peaceful resolve was melting away like summer snow.

For the next few minutes while Boros tried to think of things he slowly began to find his eyelids drooping slightly and yawning now and again, his loud voicing echoing through the empty red hallway.

" _I think I could maybe have a small sleep, who would notice. I'm alone in the corridor and the Queen is normally out cold after drinking a couple of glasses of Arbor"_ he thought as once again his eyelids grew heavy and he found it an immensely hard effort to keep opening them again and again. " _Just a quick rest no one will even know"_.With that Ser Boros rested his eyes and fell into a light sleep filled with dreams of crimson sheets and golden lions. Every once in a while a loud snore would emit from his wide fat mouth.

"Wake up Ser Boros, it's time to do your duty".

Ser Boros's eyes flew open immediately and he sprung into action darting backwards and in his half asleep state tripping over his own snowy white cloak and tumbled to the ground, shouting curses and insults while he landed with an almighty racket as his armour scraped across the floor. Turning to face the voice Ser Boros instinctively reached out for his sword at his waist but found himself grabbing at air and an empty scabbard.

"Now now Ser Boros you really do know how to make a mess of things".

Ser Boros turned to face the person who was speaking and gasped. Standing over him was a small child no older than twelve and no younger than nine dressed in rags and covered in filth. His hair was brown like dirt, his eyes were two orbs of murky grey and his face and nose were pinched like that of a rats.

"Who the fuck are you, I am a Kingsguard and I demand you little fucker to give me back my sword" Ser Boros shouted trying not to show his unease at the young boy and how unnerved he was making him feel.

"I am a street urchin, I am an orphan, I am a beggar, I am no one" he replied as he tossed Ser Boros's sword down the hall smirking all the while as the knight lay their on the ground with a mixed look of bewilderment and fear.

"Look here I am Ser Boros of the Kingsguard and once some guards get here we'll have you in chains and soon enough your head dipped in tar and displayed on the gate" he laughed menacingly trying to put fear into the boy despite the boy being totally unfazed by the threats of the craven Kingsguard.

"Ser Boros I do believe that you are the one who should be worried, why the toxin only takes around ten minutes to get into your blood stream and slowly kill you" the boy laughed as he pulled a dagger out of his pocket and began to throw it into the air and catch it to the horror of Ser Boros. "By my timing I think the effects should start to kick in quite soon if you ask me".

"Why you little..." Ser Boros began as he tried to push off the ground but found his arms shoot with pain and collapse upon themselves. "What have you done to me... the gods I'm in agony!" Ser Boros called out his voice laced with pain as his veins suddenly began to feel as though fire was coursing through them.

"Just a simple little poison good Ser, I wouldn't worry the pain will be over soon enough all I have to do is slit your throat to make it look like a common murder, else people might become paranoid about what they eat and drink" the boy said as he squatted down beside the weakened knight grinning all the while. "I do want you to know it's nothing personal simply business but not like anyone would miss the gluttonous, lustful, greedy knight known as Ser Boros Blount. After all your not very popular around court are you?... no answer thought not".

"The Queeeen...she will...hear of this..." Ser Boros stuttered out, the poison beginning to effect his speech and motor skills with the floor beginning to spin as he lay crumbled on the ground.

"Ah yes the queen, well lets just say she's been given her own concoction, after all we don't want her waking up to your screams. No the Queen shall awaken to find your body in the morning dead at her door sending her into a state of frenzied panic and who does it better than her?".

Ser Boros now physically could not even open his eyes and found the only thing that remained to him that didn't send such violent pain through his body was his hearing. He could hear the laughs of the boy, the silence of the hall, the rustling of the leaves outside, the cats prowling around the Keep in search of dinner and the wind swaying and swooshing in the midnight sky. Boros might have even been impressed about all this he could hear if it wasn't for the fact that he could not for the life of him think of anything but pain.

"Well Ser Boros I believe I have taken up enough of your time so I bid you a good long rest and hope the seven hells are kind to you".

With that Boros heard the sound of a knife scraping across the floor, his armour groaning under his immense weight and finally a slow cutting that released a spray of red blood onto the stone floor below him. His last thought was of a crimson robe swaying by an ornate balcony in the evening breeze and then Ser Boros thought and felt no more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys so I just want to thank the people who reviewed and followed was nice to see people enjoyed the beginning of my story. Just to add this is going to pretty much be a what if scenario of the War of the Five Kings to answer a question. Please keep reviewing as once again feedback is appreciated.**

 **Italics- thoughts**

Catelyn I

As her eyes flickered open and were met with the light grey stone roof above her Catelyn instinctively reached out to the other side of the feather stuffed bed, almost pleading to the seven to allow her fingers to come into contact with that of her beloved Neds warm sleeping body. Alas her prayers went unanswered as was their habit recently and all her slim fingers came into contact with was more silk sheets and a couple of soft pillows strewn carelessly over the other side of the bed. For a few moments she silently weeped, the pain of the devastating loss still too great for her to simply push to the back of her mind. She instead chose to listen to the empty silence of the large room until it finally grew so great that she felt as though it was mocking her in her misery, choosing to take and withhold the man she loved most in this world and instead replace it with an emptiness that could never be truly filled.

After lying for several minutes in the silence her tears finally dried upon her pale cheeks and her bright blue eyes grew sore and red from the weeping she had done. Sitting up in her bed and pushing the covers away from her slim figure Catelyn then decided to rise and go about her day rather than stay weeping in her bed like a craven. She then quickly wiped her fair features clean with a piece of linen and rang a little brass bell that lay upon her table side which would summon her new handmaidens. After a few moments two girls no older than sixteen walked through her arched tower door with grace and humility, a trait Catelyn was very pleased by. After all she was the mother of the King in the North and should be treated with proper respect and dignity.

The first girl to enter the room was small in stature with a slim and graceful figure. She wore a modest grey gown that was heavily decorated with towers and bridges as the Freys did with their clothing more often than nought. She had brown chestnut coloured hair that hung down to her waist and was more fair of face than a lot of Walker Freys brood. Catelyn had to admit of all the daughters Robb would have had to marry of the weasels at least this Roslin Frey in front of her would give him fair faced children as well as a reasonably happy marriage she hoped.

" _She is indeed a beauty and more than perfect for Robb, if only she had been born into a less repulsive family I might have been overjoyed but instead I will have to sit beside Walder Frey during the marriage festivities"_ she thought bitterly to herself as Roslin came over to her quiet and shyly as though she feared Catelyn might yell at her for some unintentional slight. " _Hopefully Lord Walder will be late for the marriage like the Battle of the Trident"_ Catelyn smirked most uncharacteristically to herself at her thought, with Roslin misinterpreting the smile as that of a welcoming lady glad to see her new handmaiden.

The second handmaiden who now stood at Roslins side was almost at a contrast to the young Frey. She was tall where Roslin was short, blue-grey coloured eyes to brown and although when entering the chambers she was calm and collected she soon showed that she was also a boisterous and wilful girl. She also wore a modest grey gown but however it possessed no adornment unlike her other handmaiden and instead the only item of clothing she wore that represented her house was a silver pin stuck in her braided hair engraved with a sunburst.

" Good morning my ladies I do hope you had a pleasant rest" Catelyn said politely with a little bit of a shaky voice, rising up from her comfortable bed and nodding gently to the girls as they curtsied before her. "This morning Roslin you can quickly set my room to rights while you Alys can help find me a suitable gown to wear for I am going to see the King and his councillors" Catelyn said with almost a sigh at the thought. Robb was a strong leader and a wise one at that but his councillors had so many varying opinions that it was like trying to control a pack of bloodthirsty dogs all at once. In truth she pitied him and his youth which was ended so abruptly forcing him to take up the mantle a lot sooner than many had perhaps expected.

"Yes my lady" the girls both replied submissively before Alys Karstark scowled and with a dark mood moved over to an area of the spacious chambers that was dotted with cupboards, each with many of Catelyn's clothing from her time as a girl and what she had recently brought South with her. Alys was practically dragging her feet behind her as she walked over to them and soon enough threw the oakwood doors open with an almighty bang. Catelyn smiled slightly when she saw this. Alys was a wild girl much like her Arya and thus was not made out to do simple ladylike chores, unfortunately her father Lord Rickard had commanded it and thus she had no choice in the matter. Roslin merely nodded like one used to commands and moved to setting the rumpled sheets on the bed right before any servants came in to clean and dust.

As both girls were doing that Catelyn went over and observed herself in the mirror that was balanced carefully on a small table made of spruce . Her hair was a little tousled she observed and thus would require a quick comb to return it to the straight fiery auburn locks it usually was. However apart from that she was extremely clean having bathed yesterday evening and would require almost no work to get her looking presentable today.

Soon enough Alys returned over to her with a gown of light blue silk embroidered with little red trouts round the seams which Catelyn did adore but sent Alys away to find another one. She was going to see her Neds bannermen and thus wearing the Stark colours would show them she was and always would be Eddark Starks beloved wife rather than Robb Starks Tully mother. Alys returned a few moments later with a gown of light grey silk this time embroidered with wolves round the cuffs and neckline. Catelyn thanked the northern handmaiden profoundly and donned it carefully as though one tight pull would tear it to shreds. Once she was wearing it comfortably and her hair was once more as fair as always she had Alys place a necklace round her slim swanlike neck. It was a piece of pure silver designed to look like the face of a wild direwolf and had beautiful white diamonds set in as eyes, her dear Ned had given it as a gift for their fifth anniversary.

Finally fully dressed and looking as regal as a true queen Catelyn set off out her chambers with her handmaidens trailing after her, moving directly to the Great Hall of Riverrun which since his proclamation as King of the North and Trident was where Robb chose to rule his enormous realm. Going through the hallways that were always crowded with the men of the North and Riverlands Catelyn noticed many sympathetic looks were still shot her way, she chose to ignore them. The pain was her own burden and only one who had lost a loved one such as her husband could even imagine the pain she felt every minute everyday. Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind she then began to stop rushing and instead walk at a calm and steady pace. Projecting an aura of power and strength she could tell that from the looks the northmen was giving her that it would be quite a while before any of them ever forgot about the fiery haired beauty who was their lady.

Arriving outside the Great Hall she waited patiently as two northern guards who were conversing turn to her and open the massive chamber doors opening onto the Great Hall. On the other side of the doors stood a man dressed in the Tully raiment who once he saw her bowed deeply and then spoke in a loud and booming voice.

"Here enters the Lady Catelyn of House Stark, formerly of House Tully, daughter to Lord Hoster Tully, wife to the deceased Lord Eddard Stark and mother to Robb Stark King of the North and Trident". The man took a deep breath for a brief moment then continued to speak. "Also with her enters the Lady Alys Karstark of Karhold and the Lady Roslin Frey of the Twins".

With the proclamation everyone currently in the hall looked up to see Catelyn walk in, still escorted by her two obedient handmaidens who walked in silently behind her. Choosing not to look at any of the Lords who stood counselling her son she instead observed the walls and decorations around her. Even after years of living in the North this would always be her home. From its Godswood and the fond memories of playing with Lysa and Petyr on warm sunny days to the tall and imposing towers and battlements where she had on many occasions waved her father goodbye whenever he rode off to war or court.

 _"It is nice to return here after so long, if only it had been under better circumstances I might be overjoyed but father is wasting away in his chambers while my son and brother fight to assert their independence"_ Catelyn thought mournfully as she made her way through the crowd of lords gathered around a table dotted with more maps of Westeros than she could count. " _Gods these Lords gather japing as though all this was a game, clearly none of them have ever met Tywin Lannister"_ She once again thought darkly as she observed several Lords making japes and laughing out loud.

Finally arriving at the base of the dais Catelyn gathered her dress silks in her hands and curtsied deeply, almost falling to the ground in grace if that was even possible. Her handmaidens while managing to curtsy perfectly failed to make an impression as great as that of the Lady of the North. Rising up once more Catelyn murmured quietly "your grace" showing that even the mothers of Kings must pay homage to them.

Seated upon the makeshift throne sat King Robb Stark in all his glory. Auburn hair and light blue eyes made him look like a Tully but his demeanour made him look like a Stark. Tall and strong he even made an impressive impression while seated upon his throne, his direwolf Greywind only heightening that already powerful and untouchable look. However the thing that Catelyn respected the most was the crown upon his head. Although the last Crown of Winter had been lost to Aegon Targaryen this new one was almost identical. Forged with bronze and iron ever the symbols of the North, Robb could have been mistaken for a King from a bygone age where bronze still ruled before the Andals brought over their iron swords. With a look of authority and pride upon his face Robb nodded gently to his mother who stood their patiently.

"Mother I am glad to see you here, I feared you would be resting and I did not wish to awaken you" he said courteously standing up from his temporary throne and walked down the steps to the base, Greywind slowly padding after him and wagging his tail delighted to see mother of his master again.

"Do not fret I could not sleep and now I am here" she said quietly to him careful not to raise her voice. One of the things she had learnt from her years in the North is not to show any sort of weakness to your bannermen lest they try to exploit it. As such Robb would have to learn not to seem to indecisive and should do what he wishes not to please those around him. "I do believe you are already acquainted with the Lady Alys" Catelyn said as the young skinny girl of an age with Robb walked forward and then once again curtsied. "Then of course you will definitely know the Lady Roslin by name if not face, she is the daughter of Lord Frey that I managed to select for you before departing the Twins".

Robb was silent for a moment as his eyes almost scanned the Lady Roslin who had nervously curtsied to him. After a few moments a flicker of a smile graced his stern face and he nodded curtly to her.

"My Lady it is a pleasure to welcome you to Riverrun, I do hope that although we are betrothed you would not mind spending some time together occasionally before the ceremony" he said kindly to the girl who was shaking slightly in his presence.

"Of course your grace, it would be a pleasure to get to know you better before we are wedded" Roslin whispered quietly as she looked up to the King and then quickly withdrew her gaze and scurried back behind Catelyn.

"Now my ladies I release you from work for this afternoon I shall be spending most my time in here and as such your services are not required" Catelyn said as both girls let great smiles crawl onto their somewhat bored faces

Once the two handmaidens had finally departed and the Great Halls doors closed behind them Catelyn along with Robb moved to the vast table which was covered in maps and swarming with Lords. Walking up to the table the numerous Lords moved to the side to allow their liege and Lady to approach the table. Catelyn coming to the edge surveyed the maps with a cold and calculating look before letting doubt grow quickly in her heart.

" _My gods how could we ever face Tywin Lannister and his formidable army, with all the burning and pillaging in the Riverlands half our army is nonexistent and the rest is vulnerable to the lions"_ Catelyn thought as her eyes wandered over the map in earnest, trying and hoping to discover some poor mistake on the Lannisters part which would allow her mind to be at ease with Robb going into battle.

"My Lords" Robb suddenly said with a deep and booming voice which drew all eyes to the young wolf. "The current situation is Tywin cannot move against us while we simply cannot move against Tywin. His precious son the Kingslayer is locked up in our dungeon and we have reasserted control over all the Riverlands save Harrenhal" Robb said with a thunderous roar of approval from all the Lords and Ladies who stood listening to her son in the hall. "However we simply do not have the numbers to attack Tywin. Only with an alliance can we hope to defeat the Lannisters and as such I am determined to create one".

"Your Grace whom shall we ally with?" the majority of the voices in the hall called out, a good few being some of his most loyal and brave commanders.

Robb paced down the lengthy table until he stopped beside the largest map of Westeros. Beautifully designed, it was one of the most accurate maps Catelyn had ever seen and it detailed most of if not all of the castles in the continent along with rivers, mountainous regions and seemingly every forest or woodland in Westeros. Gradually Robbs pace slowed until he brought himself to a steady halt right beside the Stormlands. Drawing out from his belt two simple hunting knifes he suddenly in a graceful arc brought them down causing them to sink through the fabric of the map and embed themselves in the table below.

"My Lords with the wisdom of my chief councillors and my own suggestions we have decided upon three clear alliances that we would like to forge in order to remove the tyrannical King Joffrey from the Iron Throne and claim independence. The first would be with the new King Renly Baratheon who as of now has two Kingdoms under his sway. I shall be sending Ser Edmure Tully, Lady Dacey Mormont and Ser Wendel Manderly to negotiate the terms of a possible alliance. Secondly I shall be sending Lord Roose Bolton and Galbart Glover to meet with my aunt the Lady Lysa Arryn and her Lords to try and convince them to side with the North and Riverlands as they once did in the Rebellion. Finally I shall be sending my mother the Lady Catelyn Stark, Ser Stevron Frey and Harrion Karstark to meet with the also newly crowned King Stannis Baratheon to discuss the possibility of an alliance".

Catelyn in that moment froze as a hundred pairs of northern and riverlander eyes turned to look at her before returning their gaze to the noble King and beginning to cheer for the wisdom of Robb Stark. Moving forward towards Robb and with tears beginning to form in her eyes Catelyn was prepared to confront him and make him see reason over his decision on what to do with her.

 _"No no no, I will not be sent to Dragonstone as an envoy while my children are alone in the North without a father or mother_ " she thought as she made her way through the crowd of Lords chanting her sons name. " _He can find someone else to do this I will not have a..."_ suddenly Catelyn felt a hand placed itself on her thin arm and slowly pull her away from the direction of Robb.

Turning to face the man who dare try and take her away she gasped slightly when she found the familiar and warming face of her Uncle Brynden Tully staring down fondly at her. Allowing herself to now be led willingly from the table in the centre of the packed hall she found herself being led to a side door concealed slightly behind a tapestry of Riverrun. With her Uncle opening the small but sturdy door for her Catelyn passed through it into an empty and draughty hallway dotted with the occasional window to let light into the otherwise darkened passageway. Moving forward slightly to allow her uncle to follow her in and close the door behind him she instantly turned and flung herself into his arms.

"Robb is sending me away! In these past few months I've travelled to the Eyrie, Kings Landing, White Harbour and then back here to Riverrun. All I want is to see Rickon playing with wooden swords, Bran climbing the walls and towers of Winterfell, Sansa embroidering and chatting away merrily to Jeyne Poole and Arya following Robb and Jon around in the training yard avoiding being a lady at all costs" she whispered in her uncles ear as she tried to force herself not to weep. "Instead Bran is crippled from the waist down, Sansa is going to be wed to the monster Joffrey, Arya is somewhere locked up in the Red Keep and I'm being sent away to negotiate an alliance with a man well known for being the most unyielding person in Westeros. Oh Uncle what am I to do?".

Her uncle Brynden lifted her head off her shoulder and stared into her watery eyes, his own full of pity and remorse.

"Little Cat I know the pain you feel is great, enhanced by the fact that your children are split across the realm but you must remember that Robb is doing his best to get them back" her uncle said gently once again embracing her and gently patting her back. " Your son is King of the North and Trident and as such he needs to forge alliances to win this war else we shall all be doomed to a Lannister reign. Robb chose you for you are his mother as well as the daughter of Lord Hoster Tully thus by sending you to Stannis it shows his respect for the man".

"Yes uncle I know that Stannis is a very prickly man who has always felt he has been slighted by everyone but Robb has hundreds of commanders who could go in my stead each with noble blood and proper courtesies" Catelyn said quickly beginning to compose herself once more as she gently pushed away from her uncle and began for the second time that day to dry her eyes on a silken cloth.

"Catelyn, Robb is fighting a war and he needs all his commanders with him. By sending you it shows proper respect and allows him to not surrender any of his necessary men who will be leading battles" Brynden said beginning to despair slightly at his nieces unwillingness to comply with her sons commands. "Also I was told that Robb has an even more important offer to give to Stannis one that only someone with his complete trust could deliver. Would you not do that for your son that you bore?".

At that Catelyn's arguments dwindled as she began to see how important this could be for her sons newly forged Kingdom. Looking deeply into Bryndens eyes Catelyn saw worry and fear lurking in them showing that he too did not like the idea of her leaving the safety of Riverrun for any reason but however the reasoning of the King had won him over clearly.

"Very well uncle I shall do as commanded by Robb and later I shall see him about what this so called important offer is to Stannis" Catelyn spoke quietly filled slightly with misery as she said those words but still felt determined to carry them out. "Robb has placed his faith in me as a diplomat and as our words say Family Duty Honour I shall serve my son the King, do my duty and go to Stannis Baratheon on Dragonstone and bring honour to the Tully and Stark House. This I swear to the old gods and the new!".


End file.
